New modalities in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke and nursing implications

International Conference on Nursing & Emergency Medicine

December 02-04, 2013 Hampton Inn Tropicana, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Catherine Harris

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

Acute stroke is the leading cause of morbidity and the 4th leading cause of death in the country. Prevention is key, however stroke does occur, the treatment modalities are aimed at mitigating secondary brain injury. Tissue plasminogen (t-Pa) has been an effective treatment in acute stroke, but is limited in terms of which patients can receive it due to the strict time window. Newer strategies are aimed at treating stroke based on tissue perfusion and not a set time frame utilizing neuroimaging. Additionally, t-Pa is of limited use when the patient presents with a large vessel stroke. Interventional stroke treatment is the gold standard in reanalyzing vessels in appropriate patients. Nurses need to be aware of the available treatment modalities that are available for stroke patients and understand the implications for patient care afterwards. In this lecture, the various types of strokes that occur, which patients are appropriate for treatment, uses of neuroimaging and what modalities are available both now and what is in development will be discussed. Current guidelines will be reviewed as well as evidenced based practice.

Biography :

Catherine Harris, Ph.D., MBA, CRNP is an Assistant Professor at Jefferson School of Nursing and an advanced nurse practitioner in neurosurgery with expertise in neurological critical care and the management of acute stroke patients. She works at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Philadelphia, a leader in comprehensive stroke care and cerebrovascular diseases. She completed her Ph.D. in 2011 from the University of Pennsylvania with a focus on cerebrovascular injury and Master?s in Nursing in 2005. She is board certified in Adult and Acute Care and has spoken extensively both nationally and internationally on topics of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.